TVO and Ontario's Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics are pleased to announce a new five-year partnership, making TVO the exclusive presenting media partner for the Perimeter Institute's international science-themed events and popular public lecture series.

TVO and Perimeter Institute partner to make science more accessible in Ontario

TORONTO, Sept. 16, 2011 - TVO and Ontario's Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics are pleased to announce a new five-year partnership, making TVO the exclusive presenting media partner for the Perimeter Institute's international science-themed events and popular public lecture series.

TVO and Perimeter Institute share a belief that building scientific literacy is fundamental to a sustainable and prosperous future.

Perimeter Institute brings together the brightest scientific minds in the world to share their ideas and TVO has the media toolkit to make those ideas more accessible," said Lisa de Wilde, Chief Executive Officer of TVO. "Working together we can open up new worlds in science for Ontarians of all ages."

The role of science is pivotal in advancing our world, and is why Perimeter Institute and TVO are intensifying efforts to share the joys of research, discovery and innovation," said Neil Turok, Perimeter's Director. "We are delighted to be working with the team at TVO, our like-minded and highly motivated partner in science communications."

The new partnership builds on a successful history of engaging TVO's on-air, online and on-location audiences with the top scientific minds that converge at Perimeter. The two Ontario-based organizations have successfully collaborated on the Quantum to Cosmos: Ideas for the Future science festival in 2009; Hawking at the Perimeter in 2010; and the Equinox Summit: Energy 2030 in 2011. TVO also aired the award-winning Quantum Tamers: Revealing Our Weird & Wired Future, from Perimeter Institute.

This new partnership kicks off with a special TVO broadcast from the Grand Opening of the Stephen Hawking Centre at Perimeter Institute. Stephen Hawking: The Power of Ideas will air on TVO on Sunday September 18 at 8 p.m. ET. Program details include:

• Comments from Professor Hawking himself, and tributes about his inspirational life story from famous Canadians including Rick Hansen, David Foster and William Shatner

In tandem with the tribute to Professor Hawking and a public open house at Perimeter Institute, TVO.org will also live stream four special one-hour public lectures from Perimeter's "Theatre of Ideas" on Sunday, September 18 starting at 10:00 am. The speakers and topics include:

10 a.m. George Dyson, science historian and author, on the origins of the digital universe

12 p.m. Hod Lipson, Director of the Computational Synthesis Lab at Cornell University, on the rise of programmable matter and the future of "3D printers"

2 p.m. Natalia Toro, Faculty at Perimeter Institute, on the world's most ambitious scientific experiment, the Large Hadron Collider

4 p.m. Julie Payette, astronaut from the Canadian Space Agency, with perspectives from the International Space Station on scientific research and international diplomacy

TVOKids and TVOParents.com will also be part of Perimeter Institute's Physica Phantastica science exhibit during the grand opening on September 18th. In addition to Perimeter's family-friendly physics activities - including Memory Metal, the Hawking Radiation Playbook and Black Hole in a Bucket - kids will have the opportunity to try out TVOKids.com science games. And parents can learn from the TVOParents.com team members about the TVOKids Homework Zone and other resources that can help equip their children for success in science, math and literacy.

About TVO

TVO is Ontario's public educational media organization and a trusted source of interactive educational content that informs, inspires and stimulates curiosity and thought. Celebrating 40 years, TVO's vision is to empower people to be engaged citizens of Ontario through educational media. TVO is funded primarily by the Province of Ontario and supported by sponsors and thousands of donors. For more information, visit tvo.org.

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For further information:

TVO Media contacts:

Lesley Slack

TVO, Corporate Relations

Phone: 416.484.2600 x 2281

Email: lslack@tvo.org

About Perimeter Institute

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics is an independent, non-profit, scientific research organization working to advance our understanding of physical laws and develop new ideas about the very essence of space, time, matter, and information. Located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, Perimeter also provides a wide array of research training and educational outreach activities to nurture scientific talent and share the importance of discovery and innovation among students, teachers, and the general public. In partnership with the Governments of Ontario and Canada, Perimeter is a successful example of public-private collaboration in scientific research, training, and outreach. http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/